Can-capping machine



E.. NORTON. DECD.

L. z. NonroN. zxscurnlx.

CAN CAPPING MACHINE.

APPLICATION man MAR. 16.' |916.

Patented Sept. 17, 1918'.

Il i] lll E. NRTON. DECD.

L. E. NoRroN. Exacumx.

CAN CAPPING MACHINE. Af'PLlcATloN man MAk.1a.1916.

Patented sepnl?, 19m

2 SHEETS-SHEET. 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWIN NORTON, DECEASED, LATE 0F PAGET WEST, BERMUDA, BY LUCYy E. NORTON, EXECUTBIX, 0F NEW YORK, Y.

CAN-CAPPING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent,

rammed sept. 17, 1918.

To all '1o/wm t may concern.'

Be it known that EDWIN Non'roN, deceased, late a citizen of the United States, residingr at Paget lVest, Islands of Bermuda, invented new and useful Improvements 1n lanCappin;r l\"lachines, of which the following is a lspecification.

This invention relates to improvements 1n can capping machines, and more part1cu- Iarly to that type in which the caps or heads are seamed to the can body within a vaeuons chamber, one object of the present invention being to so construct the pa rts which 1nclose the cans within a vacuousl chamber during the seeming operation, that the length ot' movement of one part relatively to the other during theoperation of inclosinp; a can to be seamed shall be reduced to4 a minimum.

A further object is to subdivide the c an inclosing structure and to effect the closing of Said structure by a limited movement of one of said subdivisions relatively to the other. t y

A further object is to provide simple and efficient interchangeable devices whereby the bells in which the fans to be sealed are dier posed, may be adapted to receire and hold cans of various dimensions.

vWith these and other objects in View, the invention consists in certain novel features of construction and combinations ot parts as hereinafter set forth and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings; Figure lV is a view of a portion of a. can capping machine showiing the application of the improvements; Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view show-ing the arrangement of can holding l'devices in one of the lower bell members, platforms for two dierent sizes of cans being shown; Fig..3 is a plan view o fthe same, and Figs. 4c, 5, (l, 7 and S are detail v1ews,

1 represents suitable framework in Whlch seaniing mechanism 2 is mounted and suitable means are rovided for actuating said seeming.mechanism and for controlling its operation. The seaming mecha-msm 2 (which will be hereinafter referred to as the scanning head) is inclosed within -a bell or receiver 3. mounted in the frame work. The wall of the hell or receiver 3 may be enlarged at its lower end and provided with 3 a zgroove to receive a packing ring 4 to engage and form an airtight connection with the flanged upper end of, a lower bell-member or receiver 5, in which a can to be sealed will be located, as hereinafter explained. The bells or receivers 3 and are normally so disposed that the lower end of the u perl bell will be in a plane, a short distance a ove the plane of the upper end oi the lower bell, so that a very short movement will suflice to bring' the two bell-members together and lorln an air tight chamber in which the scanning of the cap to the an body will be performed. Suitable means are provided (such for example, as illustrated in Patent No. 781,087 to Norton and Hodgson Jair uary 31, 1905) for bringing the two bell or' sealing chamber members together and means Wlll also be provlded torexhaustmg 'the sealingr chamber duri'mc;v the sea ming o`peration. 4These speeifie nie'chanisms ido not constitute par-tof the present linvention'and need not be moreparticularly described herein. f

A plurality of lower bell or receiver mem! bers 5 willl be provided and the-'se are mounted upon rotary platform or turn-table 6. 'lhe turntable may be n'ianually operated to bring,r the lower bell or receiver rnernbers` successively` under the upper bell or receiver member for cooperation with the latter as previously explained, to form a closed sealing chamber, in which the can and its cap are subjected to the action of theV seeming head for seaming the cap to theV can' body. Means for operatingr theturnjtablefsuch'as shown in the patent to Norton'and Hodgson hereinb'efore referred to, may be employe'di In order that the lower bell or receiver members shall be adapted 'to receive alnd` members` arc brought-1 together, the' devices noiv to be described are' en'lployed.

A platform 7 provided Witha supporting spider or frame '8. is' disposed. Within each 'loujer bell member 5 and coilstitutes'a support upon which a can'to be sealed is mounted. This can upport or pad is conthreaded socket in the bottom of the bell juste'd,i

. :It :will be understood, that centering*Lungs-r plurality of can supports will be provided and they may beused interchangeably for suplporting cans of dilerent` heights, and the p atform portions of said supports vmay be made of different sizes to accommodateV cans VofA various circumferenf.y tial d1mens1ons.

A centerin ring 10 is removably mounted. within eac vbell 5 so asto closely hug the wall of the-same above the .can support and at its u -pper edge, ,this ring is somewhat enlarged to for-'m a shoulder 11 which rests upon a shoulderl2 in the bell 5. The ring 10 is provided with several pairs (preferably four) -of flanges 13 forming vertical grooves 14 for the reception of. the outer edge portions of centering :jaws 15 adapt/ed at their innerjedges. to engage and center a can 16.- `Each -centering jaw may convemently consist of a plate .which enters a recess 17 in the frame of the can support adjacent to the platform portion 7 thereof. Each centering. Jaw ,or plate is connected withthe ring 10 by means ,of-screws 18, lthe threaded portions of which enter said jaws, while the 'heads-1 9 of said' screws areloosely disposed within recesses 20 in the ring 1 0. Each centering jaw -or .plate is beveled atitsl inner, upper corner as shown at 21, and an annular plate 22 vsecured to the upper edge ofthe; centerlng ring 10, overlies the outer portions of the upper ends of the several centermg jaws. Each centering jaw is provided in its outer edge near the upper end thereof, .with a socket 23, in which one'end-of a spring 24 is seated, the other end of'said spring enter ing 4asocket in the centering ring and bear-A ing against a threadedplug 25 closing the outer end of said socket which the tension of said spring may beadand hichniay be employedinterchange-` djaws, of :various heights; willj be pro,-`

to accommodate cans .of

di erentiheights," and, that centering jaws g0f different adaptable for, use, interchangeably, 4to.,ac

Widths will, provided and commodate cans of .different circumferential dimensions. y

- When the' severalbells or receptacle members 5 von theturntable shallhave been provided v,with the. supporting,l centering and holding device` (according cans to be sealed), said bell orreceptacle the cans, with caps-thereon. When a can 16 is being inserted into the` bell, the base flange 27 of said can will engage the beveled upper vand by means of.

to thesize of the.

ends of the jaws or plates 15 and as the can descends, said jaws or plates will be pressed outwardly against the resistance of the springs 24: and when the.. bottom of the can shall have become seated on the can support, thevsprings 24 will have pressedthe upper portions of the jaws against the upper portion'of the can and thus the can wi l beaccurately centered within the bell. 'lVhen a can with a cap thereon) shall have beenthus pllacedvin the bell 5, the operator will move the turntable until the bell member 5 (having the can therein) becomes disposed directly under the upper bell or receptacle member 3, when the two bell or receptacle members will lbe caused (by any suit able means) to come together and form the tightly closed sealing chamber which may be exhausted of' altion of seaming the cap to the can w1ll be performed as hereinbefore stated. After the seamin'g operation shall have been com pleted, the bell or receptacle members will be separated, and the 'operator will move the turntable another step, thus permitting the removal of the sealed can and presentation of another lower bell in position to accomplish thesealing of the can therein.

Slight changes might bemade in the details of construction ofthe 'invention-'with-v out departing from the spirit thereof -or limiting its scope. f

Having fully described the invention what is claimed as new and' it is desired shall vbe covered by Letters-Patent,` is:

1. In a 'canca'pping'machina the combination of a sealing chamber, sealing mechanism within 'said chamber, said chamberv comprising upper and lower separable bells, supporting and centering devices removably located within Vthe lower bell, and means for moving said lower bell into and out of alinement with the upper bell. i

2. In a can cap ing machine, the combination with a sea ing chamber comprising upper and lower bells, one movable vertically relatively to the other, a can support'in the lower bell, centering jawsin said lower bell abovev -the can support therein, and ahorizontally movable support for' said lower bell ir and in which the o erawhereby theL same may bemoved'into and nation with superimposedbells copera't-ive:

to form a sealing chamber, and lsealing'means in the upper bell, ofa can support in" the lower bell, a ring mounted in said lower bell above and independently of the can support therein, and yielding can centering jaws connected with said ring. members will be ready forthe reception of 4. In a can capping machine,`the combination lwith superimposed bells coperating to form a sealing chamber, seamin means in the upper bell, a can support in t e lower bell, n ring in said lower bell above said can In testimony whereof, I, LUoY E. NORTON, support, a lurnlity of can centering jaws, have signed this specification, as executrx 10` means loose y connecting said j aws wlth said of the estate of EDWIN NORTON,` deceased, in ring, springs envaging said ring and the upthe presence of two subscribin witnesses.

5 per portions o? said `centering aws, and LUCY E. ORTON.

means for moving seid lower be] into and Witnesses: out of, vertical alinement with the upper Amori H. RICHARDSON,

bell. LESLI? E. MCCUEN. 

